SAINTS IN WRONG PLACE (1)

ABRAHAM IN EGYPT.

Whenever we read or hear about the heroes of faith, all that comes to our mind is the thought of a sinless perfection that must have made them so saintly. We think of them as special super-Spiritual beings who were never subject to like passions as we are. But a thorough study of the Bible reveals that these heroes and heroines of faith were just as human as any other mortal. As a matter of fact, they all had their Weaknesses as well as failures. There were times during their days on earth when they went down the spiritual ladder and descended so low that we would never have called them saints had they not been so called in Hebrews 11. They had their ups and downs which are an evidence of human frailty. In these series, we shall consider the life of some individual Bible characters who, for the circumstances in which they found them selves, could be best described as "The saints in wrong places."

The first saint on our list is Abram, the father of faith and friend of God. When God called him out of the Chaldeans, it was with a promise of making of him a great nation, and since a nation can not exist without a land to live, it was of paramount importance that a land must also be given unto Abram. For an everlasting inheritance, God gave Abram the land of Canaan. It is also called the promised land. In Genesis 12, we read of the call of this great man of God. He wasted no time to get out from among his people into the land of Canaan. ln verse 7, the Lord appeared unto him there in a manner not described but possibly in a vision and told Abram that the land will be given to his children, but in verse 10, the Bible says "And there was a famine in the land."

A famine in the land of promise? That sounds incredible. The land was naturally fertile but subject to visitations of dearth, especially in dry seasons. when rains, on which the land depended, either failed or were scanty. The occurrences of this famine just at the time of Abram's entering the land was an additional trial to his faith.

Faith must be tried. tested and proved or it is no faith at all. When we pray for the reward of faith. we must also expect the test of faith. The land given to Abram by God was a reward of his unwavering faith in Jehovah, but the famine that occurred there was a sign of faith on trial. Sometimes, God allows want in the land of plenty. He allows hunger in the house of bread and here it is a famine in the land that flows with milk and honey. When God allows such things ac fam'ne in the promised land, it is for good of his children. Doesn‘t the Bible said that "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord?"

Trials and temptations, when allowed by God, are educative rather than punitive. There are times when God will appearto His children as a wicked fathel and unjust judge, but He is not. He is our Father in heaven whose eyes are on the sparrow and He watches over us.

He cares about everyone even the least of His creatures. He cares about the many patches on our clothes and about the holes in our shoes. He cares, yes, He does! It is stupid to accuse God of injustice. He is not responsible for all the ills of the world. The societal ills, be they social, economic, political or military are the results of human greed and selfishness. God is not to blame for any of them. He is a loving and caring Father. At the outbreak of famine in the promised Land, Saint Abram, the father of faith, was said to have gone down into Egypt. The Bible says “and Abram went down into Egypt." It was a downward journey hence, a dangerous one.

Any decision and attempt to leave our land of promise because of the problems encountered there may appear wise initially, it is but a pointer to some more calamities of greater proportion.

Abram cannot be justified for this downward trip to Egypt. The fact that he was in 'first class upper division' among other heroes of faith is no vindication. There is no doubt that this journey was undertaken out of his own fears and unbelief. In his perplexity, he chose to leave Canaan for Egypt and to dwell among a people who were reputed to be notorious fortheir godlessness. Abram was once a dweller in the promised land, but now a sojoumer in Egypt. He was found erecting an altarforthe worship of Jehovah in Genesis 12: verse 7 and in verse 10 of the same chapter he was seen among wicked and immoral people. He was indeed a saint in wrong place. How unstable can a saint be!

The story of Abram in Egypt is a lesson to us that no matter how difficult things may be when we are in the Lord Jesus, we must stay in Him still. When a saint goes out of Jesus to seek refuge and solace among sinners, he shall pay dearly for it. All that attends a saint's departure from the Lord is frustration

and disappointment. Jesus says 'l am the vine and you are the branches. Without me you can do nothing.’ Why not wait on the promise of the Lord!

***image source: google
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